Low carb diets?

FittyNotFattie2014

What are your opinions and experiences with them and (about) how many calories are you eating on them?

thanks!

Acg67

What are your opinions and experiences with them and (about) how many calories are you eating on them?

thanks!

They offer no real advantage for fat loss holding calories and protein constant, so if you have no specific medical condition or intolerance that would require you to low carb, a more balanced diet may be easier to adhere to

FittyNotFattie2014

Why do you think they don't offer any advantage? You use them for energy so it would make sense that if you lower them, you will begin to burn fat faster than you normally would.

Acg67

Why do you think they don't offer any advantage? You use them for energy so it would make sense that if you lower them, you will begin to burn fat faster than you normally would.

That sounds good, but alas is not true.

FittyNotFattie2014

Explain? I'm a science major, and I don't believe that is true. What I'm interested in is how it plays a role in thermodynamincs

Acg67

Explain? I'm a science major, and I don't believe that is true. What I'm interested in is how it plays a role in thermodynamincs

Ok you eat 2000 cals and burn 2300 cals, regardless of your macro breakdown, you're creating a deficit of 300 cals. Why do you think you'd lose more fat eating lower carb?

FittyNotFattie2014

Well, yeah, that way you would. But how many of us are actually going to burn 2300 calories in a day?

What I'm saying is that when you exercise, the majority of what you are burning is carbs. It takes 30 minutes or more usually before you even begin burning fat deposit. So, if you don't have any carbs to burn, you'll just burn fat instead. That is essentially what ketosis is

donnas144

ive tried lower carbs. not completely ruled them out but if i have them kept low portion size. tend to fill more up with more veg etc. replaced sanwiches for ritva at lunch time. tend to have fruit and yogurt for breakfast seems to be working well for me

lizziebeth1028

Well, yeah, that way you would. But how many of us are actually going to burn 2300 calories in a day?

What I'm saying is that when you exercise, the majority of what you are burning is carbs. It takes 30 minutes or more usually before you even begin burning fat deposit. So, if you don't have any carbs to burn, you'll just burn fat instead. That is essentially what ketosis is

Sounds like you know a lot you should just go ahead and try it

tigersword

Well, yeah, that way you would. But how many of us are actually going to burn 2300 calories in a day?

What I'm saying is that when you exercise, the majority of what you are burning is carbs. It takes 30 minutes or more usually before you even begin burning fat deposit. So, if you don't have any carbs to burn, you'll just burn fat instead. That is essentially what ketosis is

Ok, but what about the dietary fat you eat in place of the carbs that your body burns instead of the stored fat? Or the protein that you eat that gets converted to glucose via gluconeogenesis to make up for the lack of carbs? You're seriously over simplifying the way the body utilizes energy. And of course, that also completely ignores the hormonal effects of cutting carbs, like the reduction in growth hormone, loss of lean tissue, and possible psychological effects as well.

Also, what do you mean by "how many of us are going to burn 2300 calories?" 2000 calories is what the average person burns in a day, I'm usually around 3000-3500 per day. You do burn calories even when you aren't exercising, after all... What science are you actually studying?

sscad

What you are saying makes sense, so it may work in the short term, but I don't think it'll work in the long run. Eat low carb is nearly impossible, not to mention unhealthy since you won't be getting the nutrients vegetables, fruits, and whole grains have to offer, and it'll probably just make you crazy. This doesn't mean I don't believe in cutting out processed or enriched flours, but sacrificing the good carbs too? Nah, I think a balanced diet that sticks to your calorie goal is better overall.

sscad

Well, yeah, that way you would. But how many of us are actually going to burn 2300 calories in a day?

You'll be surprised actually how much calories we burn each day, I don't think he meant calories burnt just working out.

earlyxer

I'm not a fan of diets - there are too many with too many crazy rationales. While I tend to agree with the Paleo approach, I don't buy the rationale: it's what cavemen ate. Hey, more power to cavemen but they lived brutish, nasty lives and died young. Not exactly something to which I aspire!

I'll try to not be pedantic, and maybe you've heard this 100 times before so forgive me but diets are basically bull****. There are 100 diets that will lose you 10 lbs in 2 weeks. None of them work long term, especially Atkins. You just can't maintain zero carbs forever. And if you look at fitness models or top athletes - like Usain Bolt - they aren't doing Atkins or Primal or Paleo or South Beach. Or Weight Watchers.

In a nutshell, the problem is that everyone focuses on weight. "I want to lose 10 lbs!" 10 lbs of WHAT? 10 lbs of muscle? Bone? Brains? Water? Let me amputate your arm, presto! You've lost 10 lbs. No, you want to lose 10 lbs of fat, and you want to keep your muscle, bones, and brain. The problem with EVERY diet is that when you lose 10 lbs, you lose fat, muscle, and water. It's the proportion you are fighting to achieve: lose the most fat with the least muscle sacrificed. You're going to lose some muscle when you restrict calories, no way around it. But if you just go on some really calorie-restrictive diet - like 1000 a day or similar - and lose 10 lbs, it will be 5 lbs of fat, 2 lbs of water, and 3 lbs of muscle. That is no recipe for success. So you really need to focus on minimizing muscle loss, maximizing fat loss, and ignoring water loss because you can rehydrate at will. As a woman, I am sure you are well aware of this every month haha.

To maintain muscle (lean mass) you need a high protein diet. You also need to strength train. Hours spent on a treadmill or elliptical are metabolic suicide. Don’t' believe me? Go on Google Images and type in "marathon runner". They are the pinnacle of long-duration cardio and they look like hell. Concentration camp survivors or something - who wants that? Your body isn't stupid, it is a finely tuned fat-CREATING machine. It excels at storing fat - because it might need it, just in case, and especially when you're restricting your calories. It thinks there's a famine or something, so it packs away the calories whenever it can in the form of fat. But if you strength train, you're telling your body "hey - when you need energy, don't consume my muscle - I need it! - go use that fat over there instead. Thanks".

So, simply: calorie restriction to lose weight and high-protein diet and strength training to conserve lean mass.

Keep it simple - lean meats, lots of egg whites, lots of fibrous veg (broccoli, spinach, etc), avoid refined carbs (white flour, sugar, etc). The thing about those foods is that none of them are calorie-dense which means that you can eat tons of food and never be hungry. You can't get fat eating broccoli - it's impossible, there are no calories in it. I ate a pound of chicken breast at lunch. Plus broccoli, and I'm still stuffed. I had 6 eggs for breakfast. With a slice of cheese. It was like 350 calories - nothing. So if you focus on the lean things, (organic is bogus btw) and try to hit your calorie targets, just by the nature of it you will be eating a low fat, low carb diet. I view it as a byproduct of retaining muscle and not just simply the goal of eating "low carb" because that is supposed to be the Holy Grail.

yarwell

Explain? I'm a science major, and I don't believe that is true. What I'm interested in is how it plays a role in thermodynamincs

http://caloriesproper.com/?p=1653 might be up your street

JasonDetwiler

Explain? I'm a science major, and I don't believe that is true. What I'm interested in is how it plays a role in thermodynamincs

I'm an engineer, so I share your curiosity to expand beyond Cal in/out, and I believe that the body works in far more complex ways than that. I've only been on this site for a day and it seems that the tribal knowledge here discounts cellular response to different types of stimuli and refers to calorie counting as the only factor in losing weight. I think there should be a clear distinction in losing weight versus losing fat, as I'm not concerned about the scale but more so what the calipers say.

If you're looking to do some research, check into John Kiefer. His works cited is always worth checking out and he backs everything up with scientifically reviewed publications.

CaseRat

Explain? I'm a science major, and I don't believe that is true. What I'm interested in is how it plays a role in thermodynamincs

I'm an engineer, so I share your curiosity to expand beyond Cal in/out, and I believe that the body works in far more complex ways than that. I've only been on this site for a day and it seems that the tribal knowledge here discounts cellular response to different types of stimuli and refers to calorie counting as the only factor in losing weight. I think there should be a clear distinction in losing weight versus losing fat, as I'm not concerned about the scale but more so what the calipers say.

If you're looking to do some research, check into John Kiefer. His works cited is always worth checking out and he backs everything up with scientifically reviewed publications.

The 'tribal' knowledge you refer to is dished out by people such as ACG because of the thousands of times he has had to repeat himself, quoting studies, references and articles. If you were to look back, there's plenty of information backed up with scientifically reviewed publications.

FittyNotFattie2014

"Ok, but what about the dietary fat you eat in place of the carbs that your body burns instead of the stored fat? Or the protein that you eat that gets converted to glucose via gluconeogenesis to make up for the lack of carbs? You're seriously over simplifying the way the body utilizes energy. And of course, that also completely ignores the hormonal effects of cutting carbs, like the reduction in growth hormone, loss of lean tissue, and possible psychological effects as well.

Also, what do you mean by "how many of us are going to burn 2300 calories?" 2000 calories is what the average person burns in a day, I'm usually around 3000-3500 per day. You do burn calories even when you aren't exercising, after all... What science are you actually studying? "


I'm not really sure how to reply specifically to your quote, but you I don't really eat foods high in fat no matter what. And yeah, it will inevitably get converted to glucose... you need glucose to stay alive. But that conversion requires energy. There have been studies done showing that it does on rats and they lose more weight. I can try to find the specific studies if you'd like. And I don't believe cutting out carbs has "psychological effects". People don't need pasta and bread and processed food to function. I eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, which provides some carbs, but not as many as a full plate of pasta. And yes, I know you burn calories not doing anything. I think the last time I calculated the amount I burn not doing anything, it was about 1200. That means I'd have to burn an additional 1100 to be at the number the other guy was mentioning. And I'm studying biology for my undergrad... what are youuuu actually studying?

monty619

What are your opinions and experiences with them and (about) how many calories are you eating on them?

thanks!

ive done low carb higher fat diets before i did lose weight and get real lean but... i give it two thumbs down.

reasons..

1. most of the weight is water from glycogen (water in muscle cells stored by carbohydrates)

2. workouts were sh-tty because of lack of carbs.

3. volume of food was much lower because calorically dense foods had to be consumed because more fat had to be eaten to compensate for carbs.

4. muscles looked flat all the time and skin felt more lose because of lack of carbs and glycogen

5. eating out or in socal occasions were a pain in the *kitten* to have to tell people ur not eating carbohydrates


basically what i found out works for losing body fat and retaining lean muscle is eat a sufficient amount of protein maybe 1.3-1.5g per lb of body weight when in a caloric defecit 200lbs 275-300g protein.. minimum of .25g fat per lb so 50g for 200lb.. and fill the rest with carbohydrates and slowly drop carbs when you drop calories.

Mathguy1

Here's my take on why "low carb diets" seem to work (in the short run).

When cutting down on carbs, in essence, what you are doing is removing those food items that people traditionally over eat. Given that in today's society, one cannot throw a rock and not hit a place that sells food. Food is very, very convenient to buy.

By cutting down on bread, sugary sweets, etc., it forces people to pay attention to what they are eating (ever open up a bag of cookies while watching tv and then next thing you know, you've finished the bag?) Removing "convenience foods" such as cookies, chips, cupcakes, pies, footlong sandwiches, etc. forces people to eat more of a "home cooked meal" (something that is served on a plate).

Granted, eating at a restaurant, one can easily eat a dinner that is 2000 calories, so by no means does eating off of a plate mean you are eating healthy. All they are doing is removing those convenience foods that people tend to over eat which in turn causes people to lose some weight.

californiagirl2012

What are your opinions and experiences with them and (about) how many calories are you eating on them?

thanks!

I lost and gained, lost and gained, lost and gained.

It's best to just focus on calories. These kind of diets are not sustainable and cause people to get weird hang ups about foods. I simply limit carbs because they are high in calories and protein makes me feel better, but I like to have enough carbs for energy. So I sub in some low carb products like tortillas and bread thins for some meals simply to keep the calories within budget.

tnmyers23

I have been doing low carbs for over 8 months now and it works for me I have great workouts and probably more energy then a lot of people I know. What I do try to do is make what carbs I take in healthy carbs I also watch my fat intake. So far so good.